


Asleep On A Sunbeam

by situation_normal



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/M, Falling In Love, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hitchhiking, Languages, Nonverbal Communication, One Shot, Rey and Ben cannot speak the same language, Reylo - Freeform, Road Trips, Set in Brazil, Sharing a Bed, Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Unsafe Sex, google translate, sex ensues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 09:03:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16489634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/situation_normal/pseuds/situation_normal
Summary: Ben Solo decides to go on a road trip to get away from stresses at home.He did not expect to pick up a stray Rey along the way. Not to mention the fact that they can't even speak the same damn language.This is sure to be a pain in the ass.





	Asleep On A Sunbeam

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nancylovesreylo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nancylovesreylo/gifts).



> A couple of wee notes for this fic!  
> Firstly, I'd like to say a huge thank you to my friend [Darthcarol](archiveofourown.org/users/darthcarol/pseuds/darthcarol) for doing all the translations on this fic. It would definitely not be possible without her.
> 
> Secondly, this fic is for the wonderful Nancylovesreylo, who really has been so kind in always reading and commenting on my work. Not just me, but she has so much time for new authors in general, and she always gives lovely comments. Thank you Nancy!  
> Nancy prompted me for this fic, she wanted Ben and Rey to have a language barrier where they can't speak to each other. This was a fun but very difficult prompt to fill, since I don't speak any other languages, but Carol saved the day for me.
> 
> Final note is to say, Rey has a backstory that is not mentioned in the fic (since it's a one shot) in this universe, Rey has been abandoned as a child in Brazil rather than Jakku (or the UK or US which is most common in modern AU fics) she is still our Rey and her race is not changed.
> 
> Anyway! I'm sorry for the long note, please enjoy reading!

A road trip, they’d said. Time to yourself, they’d said. It’ll clear your head. Keep you off the radar for a while, while the media shitstorm surrounding Snoke dies down.

Ben grit his teeth and wiped the sweat from his brow in the god forsaken heat of another seemingly endless day's driving through the sticky humidity of Brazil.

South America. Why the fuck had he picked South America of all places?

He'd known it was a bad idea the moment Hux rolled out the world map in front of him. Phasma had covered his eyes and instructed him to place his tumbler of Tanqueray down at random on the map. Ben had done as he’d been told, having visions of driving through the hazy sunshine of the Italian countryside, or the postcard perfect villages of northern Germany.

South America. Specifically, Brazil. Why? He’d only been on the road for a day and a half since he left Manaus, and he was already sick of it.

The burning sun began to dip lower in the sky, and Ben was thinking about pulling over for a break, when he spotted a lone figure at the side of the dusty road. He slowed the van as he approached them—her—it was a girl. She held her thumb out in the universally recognised gesture of a hitchhiker, and raised a wooden board above her head with the words, _lugar algum_ , scrawled on it in bold black lettering.

God only knows why—loneliness, probably—but he brought the rusty van he’d acquired in Manaus to a stop a few meters ahead of her. He had no idea where she wanted to go, but he guessed it must be in the same vague direction he was headed, considering the way she was walking.

She ran the short distance to Ben’s van and yanked the passenger side door open, grinning widely at him. “Muito Obrigado! Eu irei para qualquer lugar que você for, contanto que sejam bem longe daqui," she said, climbing into the seat next to him.

Ben blinked at her, completely thrown by this very predictable situation. “Uh—hi—look, I don’t speak that. Do you speak English? Where are you going?”

The girl stared back at him blankly, and shrugged. "Você veio para o Brasil e nem fala português? Sério? Não acredito. Só podia ser americano mesmo."

They weren’t getting anywhere with this. He pulled out his phone to use Google translate, but he had no signal. He suppressed a growl of annoyance, and rubbed his hands over his face. Looking back over at her, he took in her appearance properly. She was skinny—way too skinny, how long had she been on the road? Her brown hair was pulled back into a half ponytail, and her once-white vest was almost brown with dust over dirty grey jeans.

His eyes eventually found hers again—hazel, he noted. She was staring at him with her eyebrows raised. He worked his jaw for a moment before pointing to himself. “Ben,” he said softly.

A smile threatened to appear at the edge of her chapped lips, and she imitated his gesture, pointing to her own chest. “Rey.”

Ben smiled at her and sighed in relief. This was something. “I’m going to Rio De Janeiro,” he said slowly, instantly hating himself for being one of those people—for imagining that if he spoke more slowly then she would somehow understand him. He pointed to the dashboard, then out the front window. “Rio De Janeiro.”

Rey nodded enthusiastically. “Rio De Janeiro!”

Great. He had company. A pretty girl, no less. Oh, and they couldn’t actually communicate with each other. Great. Really, really fucking great. He leaned over her and pulled a plastic bag out of the foot well on the passenger side, dropping it into her lap. She jumped slightly and her eyes widened in apparent surprise.

“Open it,” he said, gesturing along with his hands as he spoke, “food, water. Eat.”

She understood that, and dug into the bag hungrily, pulling out the bottle of water and drinking deeply before offering it to him, he shook his head. She may as well have it all—she looked like she needed it.

The encounter with Rey had energised him, and he no longer felt the need to take a break. He pulled back onto the road and carried on driving, listening to the quiet sounds of Rey eating his dinner next to him.

Rey dozed off soon after she ate, and her soft snores were surprisingly comforting—too comforting, Ben thought, as he felt his own eyelids droop. He pushed through the wave of exhaustion until they made it to the outskirts of a city just after midnight.

Ben found what appeared to be an open motel and drove into the car park, briefly considering letting himself fall asleep right there, before scrapping that idea and gently shaking Rey awake.

She flinched hard and sat bolt up right instantly, clenching her jaw and settling her startled eyes on him. She let out a relieved breath and her expression softened when their eyes met. “Ben,” she said quietly.

All the tiny hairs on the back of Ben’s neck stood on end at the sound of his name on her lips. He nodded steadily in response. “Rey.”

Her gaze flicked towards the motel outside the window, a look of slight panic reappearing on her face. Shit. How could he explain? She shot him an accusatory glare and he shook his head insistently.

“No! Rey, no. No,” he protested at everything her expression accused him of. “I don’t want—I mean—" Fuck this fucking language barrier. Fuck the tower of Babel.

An idea came to him and he snatched his phone off of the dashboard. Thank fuck. He had good signal. He opened Google and typed as quickly as he could.

He showed her the words on the screen and her distrustful frown softened back into a tentative smile. Ben breathed a sigh of relief and took his phone back, typing out another quick sentence to show her

Rey nodded and they got out of the van together; he followed her into the dimly lit reception area. The desk was deserted, so Ben rang the bell a couple of times, eventually summoning an unimpressed elderly woman with her hair in curlers.

She and Rey exchanged a few words, and the woman tossed a room key at Ben before turning away from them and heading back to her own bed. Rey beckoned him back out the door and he followed her out to the small accommodation block.

He double checked the door number on the key fob, and let them in to the cool air of the clean bedroom. One bed. Of course there was only one bed. He looked over at Rey and raised his eyebrows, pointing to the small double bed in a silent question.

Rey chewed her lip for a moment, then pointed to his crotch—wait, what? No, she made a sign with her hand imitating using a phone, then pointed once again to his _pocket_. His phone. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and passed it to her.

She typed something quickly onto the screen and passed it back to him.

“Shit,” he cursed, running a hand through his hair. He really fucking needed to sleep. At this point he was so exhausted he was past the point of caring who he shared a bed with, Rey had already slept in the van anyway.

He looked at Rey and shrugged, kicking off his shoes before making his way over to the bed and slumping down on it fully clothed. Finally letting his eyes drift closed, he fell asleep the moment his head landed on the pillow.

Ben woke up to blinding sunshine pouring in through the window, and Rey snoozing beside him, apparently unaffected by the brightness of the day. She was also fully dressed, and it turned out that she was a good sleeping partner—she had kept to her side of the bed.

He watched the dreams flicker in her eyes for a few minutes, mildly amused by her relaxed jaw and the small spot of drool on her pillow. Should he wake her up? They should probably get breakfast, and Ben wanted to look round this city before continuing their journey—he didn’t intend to spend his entire time in Brazil driving.

Rey made the decision for him, sighing contentedly and stretching her arms above her head before blinking her eyes open and meeting his gaze. Ben flushed and looked away, trying not to think too hard about why he suddenly felt shy. She sat up in the bed and leaned towards him, forcing him to look at her again.

She was smiling at him, her own cheeks slightly pink. “Ben,” she said again, as if she knew any other form of greeting would be lost on him.

Ben felt his heart rate pick up, and took a moment to examine the feeling. Was being in close proximity to a beautiful woman really this alien to him? No. It wasn’t even that uncommon for him to pass out drunk on Phasma’s bed and wake up next to her—surely this situation wasn’t so different to that.

Maybe it was because Rey was different. He was attracted to her. Fuck. That realisation wouldn’t have been so daunting if they could actually communicate with each other; as things stood, there was no way anything could happen between them. He sure as hell wasn’t about to ask her if she was single via Google translate.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when she touched his face, breaking him out of his impromptu meditation.

“Ben?” she asked. He understood her unspoken question. _Are you okay?_

He nodded and forced a smile. “I’m fine, Rey.” Then he pointed to himself and gave her a thumbs up. “I’m good.”

He picked up his phone to suggest breakfast, but when he noticed the time, he groaned—two o clock in the afternoon—how the fuck had they managed to sleep for nearly fourteen hours?! His stomach rumbled loudly and Rey laughed. Maybe he didn’t need his phone to tell her what he was thinking.

He grinned sheepishly at her and nodded in the direction of the door. Rey hopped off the bed and held her hand out towards him. He glanced down at her hand, then back up at her eyes; she didn’t move her hand as he tentatively reached his own towards her.

She grabbed his hand before he’d closed the distance, and laughed again. “Você é tão tímido. É tão fofo," she said, her eyes crinkling with glee at his blank expression.

Ben let himself be led out of the door and onto the street where Rey quickly found a roadside food vendor and picked something for them both to eat and drink. Ben just took it and handed over the money; he was so hungry he would eat literally anything right now, and there was no way he was going to refuse something Rey picked out for him.

The food was good, a type of pie that Rey called a “pastel,” Ben practically inhaled it and bought another for them both.

“It's good,” Ben said, pointing at his second pastel and offering Rey a thumbs up. “Good.”

They walked together back to the motel, and took turns using the shower. Ben tried his best to keep his mind occupied with innocent thoughts as he listened to the water running and Rey’s muffled singing while she showered. He noticed there was a crack on the ceiling above the bed. Maybe he would mention it to the owner.

When Rey came back through wearing only a towel and an easy smile, he noticed that the towels were a bit threadbare. He should probably mention that to the owner, too.

He definitely did not notice that Rey has freckles on her tits. Nope. Didn’t notice that at all.

Ben spent his time in the shower struggling to avoid thinking about everything he hadn’t noticed about Rey’s semi-naked body. Unsuccessfully. He eventually resigned himself to the necessity of a speed wank—imagining coming over Rey’s freckled tits. He had to do it. He really did, if he didn’t want to spend the rest of the day with an awkward boner.

It was getting on for late afternoon by the time they left the motel again, and Ben went to the reception to pay for their stay, plus an extra night, since they may as well stay in the same place another night if they were gonna have any time to look around the city.

They spent the rest of the day wandering around the city, Ben feeling like for the first time he was actually appreciating the beauty of the country around him. Everything seemed a bit more appealing with the warmth of Rey’s hand pressed against his own.

The church was impressive; the museum was interesting. Ben took Rey for dinner at the nicest restaurant he could find. Rey ordered for them both and chatted with the waitress. Ben wished he'd bothered to learn some Portuguese before he left for Brazil.

Rey told him with her eyes when she was ready to leave; they didn’t have much to drink, and she snatched up his hand again as soon as they left the restaurant. He fell into bed with his clothes on again, and drifted off to sleep before Rey was finished in the bathroom.

Ben woke slowly the next morning to the feeling of a warm body pressed against his own; he nestled further into it, wrapping his arms around her and breathing in the clean scent of her hai—

Fuck.

He snapped his eyes open to find Rey draped over him, her bare leg hitched around his waist—shit—she shifted in her sleep and moaned quietly as the heat between her thighs brushed against his leg. Ben stifled a groan at the feel of her thigh rubbing over the painful erection that was trapped in his jeans.

She hadn’t slept in her clothes. She was wearing one of his t-shirts, a pair of panties, and nothing else. Jesus. Ben carefully disentangled himself from her embrace and made his way to the bathroom for a cold shower. Her freshly washed clothes were hanging over the edge of the bathtub, almost dry. He scooped them up and took them back through to the bedroom, leaving them at the foot of the bed for her whenever she eventually woke up.

The cold shower did nothing, so he rubbed another one out in effort to get his body to calm the fuck down. When he checked the time on his phone, he was relieved to see that it was still morning, and Rey had left a Google translate screen up for him, apologising for taking one of his shirts. He didn't mind.

They still had a day and a half of solid driving ahead of them before they’d make it to Rio, and Ben wanted to get back on the road before the afternoon. He sat down on the bed next to Rey, and she stirred when the mattress dipped under his weight.

She looked up at him drowsily and smiled, offering what was becoming her usual greeting of, “Ben,” in her sleepy voice—inadvertently sending a shiver down his spine.

Ben smiled affectionately back at her, and pointed to his wrist to let her know that time was getting on. They needed to get going. She nodded her understanding and stretched hugely, before grabbing her clothes and skipping into the bathroom to get dressed.

They found another street vendor for some food, and got extras to keep them going on the journey. Ben returned the key to the elderly motel owner, and met Rey back in the van.

The drive through the city was a nightmare; cars alternately crawling along at a snail’s pace, and speeding through tiny spaces, honking their horns at others who were frequently making use of what Ben was certain must be illegal manoeuvres.

It took them three hours just to get back onto the open road. Ben wasn’t a patient man, but Rey turned the radio up and sang along to every song that came on—whatever the language. It gave him a thrill to hear her singing in English, a song about star-crossed lovers that made his heart ache. He found that with her distraction, he couldn’t bring himself to get angry with the other motorists.

They had to pull over after four hours when the van started producing steam from under the bonnet and the engine sputtered out. They ate the rest of the food they had left over, and then Rey hopped out of the van and opened the bonnet herself. It took her half an hour of tinkering, with Ben hovering awkwardly behind her, before she turned back to him with a grease-smudged face and gave him a thumbs up. The engine roared to life again on the first turn of the key.

“Good!” she said cheerily.

Ben grinned back at her. “Good.”

They found themselves at another motel before midnight, and this time Rey managed to get them a room with two beds. Ben was relieved that he wouldn’t have to sleep in his clothes again, and Rey didn’t seem offended by the idea of him sleeping in his boxers.

She threw on his t-shirt again, and they lay down in their beds facing each other with the lamp still on. She seemed to enjoy pulling faces at him to make him laugh. Ben fell asleep with a stupid grin on his face.

Somehow the next morning, they were in the same bed again. Ben had a moment of panic when he wondered if he’d climbed in to her bed in the night, but he hadn’t. She was in his tiny single bed, drooling on his arm, with her perfect ass pressed against his hard on.

He didn't even try to suppress the groan that escaped him this time as he snaked his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She was so warm—so soft. He fell back asleep holding her.

Ben woke again to find Rey sliding quietly out of his bed, he sat up and looked at her quizzically as she crept across the tiled floor to climb back into her own bed. She blushed when she saw him looking, and chewed her lip as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.

“Rey...” Ben murmured, wishing he had the words. “It's okay. We can share.” He rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. “It's good.”

Rey released a breath she must’ve been holding and smiled bashfully at him. She shuffled back over to his bed and Ben lifted his blanket for her to get back in. He knew it was late, and they should be thinking about leaving soon, but as she pressed herself against him once more, tucking herself back into his embrace, he couldn’t find a single fuck to give.

After what felt like hours of simply lying in Ben’s too-small bed wrapped in each others arms, his phone started ringing on the dresser at the far side of the room. He ignored it the first time, but the caller was persistent, and Ben eventually forced himself to get up and answer the damn thing.

He clenched his jaw in annoyance when he noticed it was a withheld number calling. Fucking sales calls. And if it wasn’t that, it was bound to be a journalist wanting the juicy details of Snoke’s case. Ben rejected the call and switched his phone off.

He looked over at Rey, shrugging apologetically at her. She giggled and reached out to him with her hand. Ben grinned at her. What was this woman doing to him? He was so gone. Lying in bed with her for hours. Not fucking. Not talking. Definitely not fucking. As if the permanent state of his dick right now would let him forg—oh shit.

He looked down in a panic at the extremely obvious tent in his boxers and turned away from her. “Shit, Rey—I am so sorry. Sorry—uh—shit.” He wracked his brains. Fucking Portuguese. Just like Spanish, right? “Lo siento,” he said hurriedly.

“Ben,” Rey laughed. She was right behind him all of a sudden. “It's okay,” she said, repeating his own words back to him. “It's good.”

She took his hand and he turned to face her, still avoiding her gaze. “Sorry,” he muttered again.

Rey ducked her head so he had to look at her. She was smiling at him, her nose crinkled with amusement. He released an awkward chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. What could he say? Quite literally, nothing.

Then she surprised him by pulling his hand towards her and tucking it down the front of her panties. What. Ben nearly fucking creamed in his boxers in front of her laughing eyes when he felt her wet pussy under his fingertips. Holyshit.

“Rey,” he groaned as she pulled him down into a hungry kiss.

He wanted her so bad. He’d never wanted anyone like this before; it was almost painful. He found her clit and teased it with one finger, making her moan as he pushed her back towards the bed. Fuck. He needed to taste her.

He pushed her down onto the bed and instantly crawled down her body, hooking his fingers over the waistband of her panties and taking them off in one movement. He looked up at her eyes for a moment, waiting for her answer, and she nodded her permission.

Ben buried his face in between her legs. Holy fucking shit. He lapped at her swollen clit until she was babbling his name in between incomprehensible strings of Portuguese. He could swear he even heard the word “good” in there.

He pressed a finger inside her as he continued to taste her, flicking his tongue against her clit and relishing the feeling of her cunt gripping his finger when she came. God. He wanted to be inside her. She grasped a handful of his hair and pulled his head back, encouraging him to lie down on the bed. He complied and she released her hold.

He watched her with a sagging jaw as she sat back up on the bed and pulled at his boxers. Ben took the hint and raised his hips to shuck them off a little too eagerly. She yanked off his t-shirt, bearing herself to him fully.

Rey was stunning. So absolutely, achingly perfect that he could cry. His fantasies hadn't done her beautiful breasts justice. His breathing caught in his throat as she hitched a leg over his waist to straddle him, taking his throbbing cock in her hand and guiding him to her centre.

She lowered herself down onto him steadily, and Ben watched her, barely believing that she was real. Holy shit. His eyes rolled back in his head as he felt himself sink into the tight wetness of her burning little pussy. He groaned loudly when their hips met, and Rey sagged forwards, panting slightly as she adjusted to the sensation.

Ben lifted himself into a half sitting position, holding himself up with one arm. He grasped the back of her neck and pulled her into another searing kiss, trying his best to say everything he desperately wanted to say with words through his actions.

 _I want you._ He ran his tongue over her bottom lip. _I need you_. She parted her lips for him and he pulled her closer. _I never want to be separated from you_. She rocked her hips against him, and his breathing stuttered. He pulled away from her lips, trailing kisses over her cheek, her jawline, her collarbone; licking those perky tits and taking a nipple into his mouth.

It was perfect; she was perfect. She rode him until she came again, then Ben flipped their positions and rutted into her until he knew he was there. He pulled out and spilled onto her taught midriff.

Fuck.

He collapsed down on the insufficient bed next to her, and listened to her panting along with him until their breathing slowed down. Wow. Ben tried to pull himself free from the haze of what had been the most intense experience of his life when he felt Rey shift next to him.

He turned his head to look at her; she was on her side facing him. She reached out towards him, and Ben closed his eyes as she explored his face with her fingertips. He grasped her wrist and pressed a kiss into the palm of her hand. _Don’t forget me._

They spent the rest of the day in bed, learning each other by heart. Ben briefly went out to book another night in the motel and buy some food, but he ached at the short separation.

They showered together, Ben ate her out again while the warm water poured over them. When they got back to bed he fucked her slowly from behind. He pulled out and came over the back of her thighs. He cleaned her up with one of their discarded towels and they fell asleep in each others arms.

Rey woke him up the next morning with a kiss. He grinned at her when she pointed at her wrist and nodded towards the door. Time to go. He ducked under the covers, unwilling to face the prospect of more hours driving. Couldn’t they just live here?

She laughed at him and pulled him out of bed by his arm. She was surprisingly strong, Ben thought, as she managed to fully pull him onto the tiled floor and onto his ass.

The final seven hour drive was like a dream. Why did he ever think this sunshine was oppressive? They flew down the roads with the windows down, stopping occasionally for food. Rey left a hand on his leg and drifted in and out of sleep, smiling at him when she caught him glancing at her.

When they finally arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Ben booked them a room with one bed in a nice hotel. The receptionist spoke English. They spent a full week exploring the city. Ben fucking loved Brazil.

Rey found a job in a café at the end of the week, and Ben switched his phone back on.

Fuck.

Seventy missed calls from Hux. Twenty more from the withheld number. Rey looked at his panicked expression from where she was lounging on the bed. He showed her the screen and grimaced.

The phone buzzed again in his hand and he answered it instantly.

“ _Benjamin fucking Solo! What the fucking fuck!”_ Hux snapped the moment he held the phone to his ear.

Ben sat down at the desk in front of the bed to steady himself. “Uh—hey, man, what’s up?”

 _“’What’s up?’ Ben! I’ve been trying to call you all week, what the fuck have you been doing?!”_ Hux raged.

“I’ve been in Brazil. Road trip, remember?” Ben said evenly.

_“You need to come back. Snoke’s lawyers have managed to wrangle a retrial. You’re needed as a witness. Get on a fucking plane today, Ben. That man cannot walk free or we're all fucked.”_

Ben looked over at Rey who was watching him intently. He cringed and dropped his gaze. “Does it have to be me?”

 _“You know it does, Ben,”_ Hux sighed. _“I know you don’t want to face this again, and I’m sorry, but it’ll all be over in a few months.”_

It’ll all be over in a few months. A few _months_.

Ben hung up the phone and dropped his head in his hands. He knew this was all a stupid fantasy he was living in. He knew it couldn’t continue. It still hurt like hell to think of it coming to an end. His chest tightened and he tried to suppress the feeling, but it was impossible. His throat constricted, his breath escaping in a shuddering gasp as he relented and let the god damn tears flow.

Then Rey was kneeling in front of him, resting her head in his lap. He cried harder.

"Eu estarei esperando por você, Ben,” she said quietly. "Não chore."

“I’ll come back, Rey. I swear to god,” he sobbed.

Six months later

Ben bounced on his heels as he waited impatiently for his turn in the seemingly endless queue to get through passport control at Galeão International Airport.

He shoved his passport down in front of the attendant and dashed through with a brief thanks. His head was spinning. He was here. He could almost physically feel her proximity.

When he finally made it out into the open air of Rio de Janeiro, he took a moment to breathe it in. The memories of his time with Rey flooded into his mind. Now he only had to fucking find her. In a city of six million people. No biggie—he knew where she worked.

He didn't even stop to check in his bags at the hotel before he rushed to the café. She wasn’t there. The owner told him she didn’t work there anymore, she hadn’t even finished her trial period before she left for another job. Shit.

He checked every café and restaurant within walking distance before he began to feel the true hopelessness of his situation wash over him. What had he been thinking? This was a crazy idea. Rey was gone. He'd fucked up.

Ben looked up at the fading sunlight and swallowed the pathetic lump in his throat. What had he expected? Her to be waiting for him there in that shitty café, knowing that he’d remember it?

He resigned himself to giving up for the day. This wasn’t the end; he would resume his search in the morning, but he was thoroughly discouraged. Finding Rey in this enormous country seemed far less likely than he had originally dreamed in his love addled brain. Because that’s what it was. Love.

He loved her. There wasn’t a single moment during their separation that he hadn’t thought of her—that the memory of her touch, her smile, hadn’t helped him make it through another hellish day.

The walk back to the hotel was painful. He'd stupidly booked the same place they’d spent that blissful week together in, and now he was regretting it. He spotted a crowd of drunken revellers milling about outside the entryway, dressed up for a wedding. As if this whole day wasn’t bad enough already.

He pushed his way past a small group of groomsmen who were taking the opportunity for a smoke, and he tried his best not to let the bitterness show on his face as he listened to the jovial celebrations of somebody else’s love going on around him.

The foyer looked exactly the same. He’d expected it to be somehow gloomier without Rey’s presence, but it was still sparkling and bright—even prettier than last time, with the extra flowers scattered here and there for the wedding. He trudged over to the front desk to check in, and the man behind the counter plastered on a perfectly practiced smile for him.

“Ben?” a voice rang out from behind him.

Ben froze. He didn't trust his own ears. There was no way.

“Ben?” she said again.

He turned steadily round to face her. It was Rey. Solid and real in front of his eyes, wearing the smart navy uniform of the hotel. “Rey,” he breathed. “I found you.”

She smiled shyly at him and his heart leapt.

“Rey, eu nunca parei de pensar em você. Nem por um segundo. Eu passei os últimos seis meses esperando pelo dia que eu poderia voltar para você.

"Eu nunca mais quero ficar longe de você de novo. Eu te amo. Eu esperei por seis meses para te dizer isso. Agora eu quero dizer tudo que eu amo em você, tudo que eu desejei de dizer antes," he said in a rush.

Her smile widened into a broad grin. “You learned Portuguese?” she said in perfect English. “For me?”

He dropped his case, unable to bear the small distance between them for another moment, and wrapped her into a fierce embrace. “Yes. Of course I did. I love you, I can’t believe you’re here.”

She took his face between her hands and pulled him down for a lingering kiss. “I love you, too. I told you before, I’ll go wherever you’re going.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Ben's speech at the end reads:
> 
> "Rey, I never stopped thinking about you. Not for one single moment. I spent the past six months waiting for the day I could come back here for you. 
> 
> "I never want to be apart again. I love you. I’ve been waiting six months to tell you that. Now I want to tell you everything I love about you, everything I wish I could’ve told you before."
> 
> The rest of the Portuguese dialogue is a secret ;) the story is told from Ben's POV, and he can't understand what Rey is saying, so it's not necessary for us to. Those lines are Easter eggs for Portuguese speakers!
> 
> Those of you who have seen "Love Actually" will recognise that the ending is inspired by one of the stories from that film.
> 
> The title of this fic is taken from the song by Belle and Sebastian of the same name. I listened to [that](https://youtu.be/RTyXOs9uJZg) song a lot while I was writing it!
> 
> Come and say hi on [Tumblr](https://situation-normal.tumblr.com/)


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